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Kotomora

于

going, from

Strokes3

Readings

On'yomi

  • ウ
  • ク

Kun'yomi

  • ここに
  • ああ
  • おいて
  • に
  • より
  • を

Meaning

于 centers on movement or direction: going somewhere or coming from a place. Its meanings are primarily grammatical or directional, indicating motion or origin.

Most common words using 于

  • 単于ぜんう

    Chanyu (supreme leader of the Xiongnu people)

  • 単于都護府ぜんうとごふ

    Protectorate General of the Central Asian Nomadic Lands (Chinese office established in Inner Mongolia in 650 CE)

Explore all words using 于 →

Study

Etymology

于 is an ancient character whose original pictographic meaning is uncertain. It may have depicted a curved object or a breath, but its use as a grammatical particle for direction or location developed early. The modern form is simple and abstract.

Meaning mnemonic

The two horizontal lines suggest a starting point and a destination, with the vertical hook showing the path going from one to the other.

Reading mnemonic

For ウ, imagine a person saying 'Ooh!' as they set off on a journey: 'Ooh' -> ウ, and they are going from here to there.